VOORHEES — The last three practices Brian Elliott has been a part of have all tested his ability to stay in the lineup. He hasn't always passed. He did this time.

Most recently it was Friday morning when Elliott, coming off a 16-save relief appearance in the Flyers comeback win over Arizona Thursday night, got hit with a puck in an unprotected area. The NHL has required more “form fitting” chest protectors this season and Elliott has been one of the league’s goalies that isn’t shy about voicing his displeasure with it.

Injured winger James van Riemsdyk fired a wrist shot that caught Elliott in the right shoulder. He dropped his stick and skated off the ice where an equipment manager slid a padded sleeve over his arm to wear under the new sleeker chest protector.

“Two in a row in the same spot,” Elliott said. “It’s right where they took away the padding. It kind of angers you and hurts you at the same time.”

This came after Elliott was bowled over by Travis Konecny in last Sunday’s practice in Arizona and he fell to the ice holding his head. He missed Monday's game and was welcomed to Tuesday’s practice when Jake Voracek shot a puck right off his noggin.

Elliott, 33, typically doesn’t take a morning skate on game days when he’s set to start. He might want to think about staying off the ice even more considering goalies see way more action in practices than games and therefore face more risk. Then again, he has to stay sharp somehow.

It would be hard for the league to regulate what he or any goalie wears in practice, but Elliott doesn’t want to wear different equipment than he’ll use in a game. Even a slight adjustment to goalie gear can affect how they move about the crease.

“I think I saw (Dallas Stars goalie) Ben Bishop’s piece,” Elliott said, “and he said it’s not really useful to practice with something you’re not using in the game.”

Elliott feels the same way, but the Flyers may want to take extra measures to ensure he can stay healthy because A. the Flyers already have one oft-injured goalie in Michal Neuvirth and B. Elliott seems to be a calming presence between the pipes for the Flyers.

As Wayne Simmonds said two weeks ago, what makes the Flyers feel more comfortable is Elliott’s big-save ability. He also takes a big piece of the leadership pie for a team that is still trying to find consistency, so the Flyers can’t afford to lose him.

“Guys at that position lead in different ways,” coach Dave Hakstol said. “Some guys are an engine because of their focus and their drive. Other guys in that position, not many goaltenders I know, but some goaltenders are loose and are able to remain focus while bringing that type of leadership. In my opinion, guys in that position are leaders. They just do it in different ways than the other positional players.

“Moose is a guy that’s a driver from the aspect of professionalism and competitiveness and preparation. Absolutely, he’s a leader in that area for us.”

Elliott figures to be in net Saturday afternoon when the Flyers take on the Chicago Blackhawks and try to extend their win streak to three.

Chicago challenge

The hockey world was rocked Tuesday morning when the Chicago Blackhawks fired Joel Quenneville, who was the most tenured coach in the league until then. He was replaced by Jeremy Colliton, a 33-year-old who coached the Blackhawks’ American Hockey League affiliate last year to a conference final appearance.

Chicago lost its first game under Colliton Thursday night, but the coaching change doesn’t necessarily make the Blackhawks vulnerable.

“I think it goes the other way,” Elliott said. “I think they’re gonna be playing that much harder and we have to be prepared for that. I saw some highlights of their game (Thursday) night and they didn’t win for their new coach. I’m sure everybody wants to win one for their new coach. I’ve been through that type of atmosphere before. We’ve got to be ready. It’s not like they’re a bad team over there. They’ve got some high-end skill. They’re quick. They can do some damage.”

“Certain things about prescouting that team are not gonna change,” Hakstol added. “Look at their personnel. We can start there. They’ve got world class, world class players. In terms of the tweaks and differences and systems, I’m sure there’s going to be some, but it still comes back to — from my perspective, where we are right now — being more complete than we were (Thursday).”

van Riemsdyk still a week away

Thursday morning, van Riemsdyk took morning skate with the team, but there was really no contact in that scenario. He didn’t have any contact Friday either, but being part of drills in practice made him feel more part of the team that he left in Game 2 when a puck hit him on the side of the knee.

“It’s tough, especially when the team is on the road and stuff for that long of a time,” he said. “It’s not easy being home here by yourself so definitely it was nice to see the boys back here after a hell of a road trip.”

He said that Friday was his fourth or fifth time out on the ice and that he’s probably another week away from returning to the lineup. That would peg his return as next Saturday when the Flyers conclude their homestand with a matinee against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Better believe that the following week, a Saturday game in his old team’s town of Toronto, is circled on van Riemsdyk’s calendar.